Jon Jones sends Stipe Miocic into retirement in front of Trump
Al Jazeera
Jon Jones sent Stipe Miocic into retirement with a stunning back kick to the ribs and used a series of blows to the head in the third round to retain the UFC heavyweight championship in front of United States President-elect Donald Trump in the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden.
Jones posed and played to the crowd on top of the octagon on Saturday night in front of Trump, Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr.
Trump walked out to a rousing ovation in front of 20,200 fans just before the start of the pay-per-view card and seemed to bask in the thrill of the fighters that throughout the night gave him props, including Jones.
Known by some in the mixed martial arts world as the “Combatant in Chief”, Trump counts UFC President Dana White as a close friend and considers fans of the sport part of his political base.
“I want to give a big, big thank you to President Donald Trump [for] being here tonight,” Jones said to a roaring ovation that bled into a “USA! USA!” chant.
